Cranial Nerves Flashcards
cranial nerves I and II exit
the only two that do not exit the brain at the level of the brainstem
cranial nerves III and IV exit
exit at the level of the midbrain
cranial nerves V, VI, VII, and VIII exit
exit at the level of the pons
cranial nerves IX, X, XI, and XII exit
exit at the level of the medulla
pure motor nerves
CN IV, VI, XI, and XII
eye movements and pupillary contriction
III, IV, VI
pure sensory nerves
I, II, VIII
mixed nerves
V, VII, IX, and X
parasympathetic fibers
III, VII, XI, and X
CN I Olfactory Nerve
sensory: responsible for the sense of smell
CN I Olfactory Nerve: path
nerve fibers traverse the skull through the cribriform plate where neurons synapse directly with the cortex with no relay through the thalamus
CN I Olfactory Nerve: pathology
head trauma can cause damage to the olfactory nerve as it travels through the cribriform plate leading to anosmia
olfactory groove meningiomas can also present with anosmia
CN II Optic Nerve
sensory: responsible fort visual sensory input
CN III Oculomotor Nerve
motor: innervates numerous extraocular muscles: superior rectus, inferior rectus, medial rectus, and inferior oblique as well as levator palpebrae
parasympathetic: pupillary constrictor and ciliary muscles (efferent limb of the pupillary reflex)
CN III Oculomotor Nerve: pathology
oculomotor nerve palsy can present with a combination of four possible clinical features: ptosis, ocular deviation, mydriasis, and diplopia
- ptosis secondary to loss of innervation of levator palpebrae muscle
- ocular deviation (down and out) and diplopia due to unopposed action of the lateral rectus and superior oblique muscles
- mydriasis occurs due to damage to the parasympathetic fibers which supply the pupillary constrictor and ciliary muscles
CN III Oculomotor Nerve: path etiologies
include trauma, diabetes, hypertension, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and compression from a posterior communicating aneurysm or uncal herniation
posterior communicating aneurysm
compresses the third nerve leading to ipsilateral pupillary dilatation and ophthalmoparesis
CN IV Trochlear Nerve
motor: innervates the superior oblique muscle, which is responsible for internal rotation and depression of the eye
CN IV Trochlear Nerve: pathology
exits the brainstem dorsally
of the cranial nerves, CN IV has the longest intracranial course
patients will complain of diplopia and difficulty descending stairs
on exam, patients will often tilt their head away from (contralateral to) the affected side to compensate for extorsion of the ipsilateral eye
CN V Trigeminal Nerve exits
at the level of the pons and trifurcates into three branches
- V1 Ophthalmic: traverses the skull through the Superior orbital fissure
- V2 Maxillary: traverses the skull through the foramen Rotundum
- V3 Mandibular: traverses the skull through the foramen Ovale
mnemonic: “Standing Room Only”
CN V Trigeminal Nerve
sensory: responsible for all modalities of sensation to the face
motor: innervates the muscles of mastication (masseter, temporalis, medial, and lateral pterygoids), tensor veli palati, anterior belly of the digastric, mylohyoid, and tensor tympani
- motor fibers exit via foramen ovale
CN V Trigeminal Nerve: Pathology
associated symptoms with a trigeminal lesion include impaired facial sensation and impaired hearing of the ipsilateral ear secondary to damage to the tensor tympani muscle
- can be seen in Wallenberg’s syndrome which is due damage to the lateral medulla from a posterior inferior cerebellar artery (PICA) ischemic stroke
trigeminal neuralgia
compression of the trigeminal nerve can lead to trigeminal neuralgia which presents with intermittent, severe sharp/stabbing-like paroxysms of the face, episodes usually occur for only a few seconds at a time
sensory exam normal
common triggers: brushing teeth, washing face, and strong winds
carbamazepine first line therapy
dura of anterior fossa
innervated by ophthalmic branch of trigeminal nerve (CN VI)
dura of posterior fossa
predominantly innervated by cervical roots C2 and C3 as well as CN X
CN VI Abducens Nerve
Motor: innervates lateral rectus muscle, which is responsible for lateral deviation (abduction) of the eye
CN VI Abducens Nerve: pathology
lesion to the abducens nerve will lead to dysfunction of the lateral rectus muscle and the unopposed action of the left medial rectus muscle causing the affected eye to be turned nasally
can be secondary to increased ICP
CN VII Facial Nerve
motor: innervates the stapedius, buccinator, posterior belly of the digastric, and muscles of facial expression including frontalis, corrugator, orbicularis oculi and oris, nasalis, mentalis, and platysma
sensory: responsible for lacrimation, salivation (submandibular, sublingual), taste from the anterior 2/3rds tongue and sensation of the external ear
CN VII Facial Nerve: pathology
Bell’s palsy is a facial nerve mononeuropathy that presents with acute weakness of upper and lower facial muscles secondary to nonspecific viral infection
- most common cause of facial nerve paralysis
- second most common is HSV reactivation
- treatment: prednisone to reduce inflammation +/- valacyclovir for severe cases
infection related facial mononeuropathies often make a complete or near-complete recovery and rarely recur
non-infectious causes of facial mononeuropathy include sarcoidosis, diabetes, Sjogren’s syndrome, and amyloidosis